U.S. Pat. No. 792,644 discloses a leg rest having a hinged support portion and a foot rest hinged to the support portion and also supported by a brace. When folded the foot rest thickness is the total thickness of the two support portions and the foot rest.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,371,962 also discloses a foot rest formed of three basic pieces including a pair of hinged support portions hinged on one axis and a foot support portion hinged to the main support on a different axis. This device is similar to that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 792,644 in that the various parts of the device are non-nestable and when folded do not fit into a very compact space.
U.S. Pat. No. 322,792 shows a foot rest having a plurality of parts including pairs of support legs pivoted together and to a leg support on a common axis. The leg support is freely swingable between the support legs. Pivotable movement of the support is limited only in one direction by a chain or cord means. No means are shown to limit the pivotable movement of the leg support to a vertical folded position when swung up to its operative relatively horizontal position. The user must raise the support with his hands or foot to the operative postion and hold it there with the weight of his foot or feet. Removal of the foot or feet will allow the leg support to fall to a nonoperative position.
The above examples are only a few of the many different types of the foldable foot and head rests that have been proposed. A foldable body support such as a foot or head rest has obvious advantages in that it can be stored in a relatively small space out of sight and out of the way. If the device is made from a relatively expensive material such as hardwood, it is important that the least amount of material be wasted. The body support should be easy to open to an operative position and back to a folded storable postion.